Pictures Show U.S. Marines Burning Bodies of Iraqi 'Insurgents'Posing for pictures with skeletons and even an enemy soldier's remains being eaten by a dog as Pentagon launches probe

The explosive photographs, reportedly taken in Fallujah in 2004, have sparked a Marine Corps investigationHowever, many of the 41 shots, obtained by TMZ, are just too grisly to publish.

Two pictures show a Marine pouring gasoline on the enemy remains, another two images show the Iraqi soldiers going up in flames while a fifth picture captures the charred bodies.

U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, determined the photos had not been brought to their attention before

By Helen Pow

"Daily Mail" - -Shocking images depicting U.S. soldiers burning the bodies of what appear to be Iraqi insurgents, have emerged today.

The explosive photographs, reportedly taken in Fallujah in 2004, have already sparked a Marine Corps investigation, but many of the 41 gag-inducing shots are just too grisly to publish.

Two pictures show a Marine pouring what looks like gasoline on the remains of enemy soldiers and another two images appear to show the remains go up in flames. Two more capture the horrifically charred bodies.

WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC CONTENT

Horrific: Shocking images depicting U.S. soldiers burning the bodies of what appear to be Iraqi insurgents, have emerged today

Burning: The explosive photographs, reportedly taken in Fallujah in 2004, appear to show U.S. soldier pouring gasoline on the bodies of Iraqi insurgents

The sick snaps were exclusively obtained byTMZ, who turned them over to the Pentagon last week, triggering the probe.

According to the website, U.S. Central Command, which is in charge of military operations in the Middle East, reviewed the photos to determine if they had been brought to their attention before.

They determined they had not.

Other horrific pictures show a Marine squatting next to a skull to pose for the camera. His U.S. military uniform is clear, on his face he wears a wide grin and he is pointing his gun at the skeleton.

Another picture shows a soldier rifling through the pockets of the scant remains of an Iraqi soldier.

TMZ said it has withheld the bulk of the images - including one showing a body being eaten by a dog - because they are just too graphic.

Grim: Many of the 41 gag-inducing shots are just too grisly to publish

It reported seeing well over a dozen dead insurgents in total in the heinous pictures, in various states, including some covered in flies.

The Department of Defense said the pictures appear to show U.S. soldiers in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The code outlines that it is a crime to mishandle remains.

There is no statute of limitations on the crime, which means the Marines can be prosecuted even if they're no longer active in the military. If convicted, the soldiers could go to prison.

'We are aware of photos appearing on TMZ.com that depict individuals in U.S. Marine uniforms burning what appear to be human remains,' Cmdr Bill Speaks, from the Secretary of Defense's office, told MailOnline Wednesday.

Pentagon: The sick snaps were exclusively obtained by TMZ, who turned them over to the Pentagon last week, triggering the probe

Posing: Other horrific pictures show a Marine squatting next to a skull to pose for the camera. His U.S. military uniform is clear, on his face he wears a wide grin and he is pointing his gun at the skeleton

Pickpocket: The Department of Defense said the pictures appear to show U.S. soldiers in violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice. The code outlines that it is a crime to mishandle remains

'The Marine Corps is currently investigating the veracity of these photos, circumstances involved, and if possible, the identities of the service members involved.

'The findings from this investigation will determine whether we are able to move forward with any investigation into possible wrongdoing.'

Some have suggested the Marines may have been burning the remains as a sanitary measure.

However, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steven Warren said the proper handling of war remains is set by U.S. military regulation and that the actions depicted in the photos 'are not what we expect from our service members.'

Cmdr Speaks said the deplorable acts depicted in the images are not representative of the millions of hardworking men and women who have served in the Middle East.

'The actions depicted in these photos are not what we expect from our service members, nor do they represent the honorable and professional service of the more than 2.5 million Americans who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan,' he told MailOnline.

In 2005 report, U.S. soldiers in Gumbad, Afghanistan were investigated for burning the bodies of two enemy fighters.

The men argued they set alight the corpses for hygienic reasons, after local citizens had not retrieved the bodies after 24 hours.

A report concluded that the action indicated poor judgement but was not a war crime.

It stated: 'Based on the criminal investigation, there was no evidence to substantiate the allegation of desecration or any violation of the Law of War. However, there was evidence of poor decision-making and judgment, poor reporting and lack of knowledge and respect for local Afghan customs and tradition.'

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When someone comes to me I need to ensure they don't go away empty handed. That is, I need to find something to give them that will make them feel benefitted. Something that will make them feel better. They need to feel that they have gained something from the interaction they had with us. This need not be any physical thing, but it could be an encouraging word, a pat on the back, a solution, a suggestion or even a good wish in the mind.

Accuracy

The sign of a great man is his accuracy. The means of achievingaccuracy is setting up a time-table. Time-tables are for busy people,helping them do the work of five people. When you find there is somuch activity, so much to be done, set your own time table. This helpsto achieve success. At times some may feel that although they have beensuccessful in many activities and achieved a lot, there is no sense ofachievement, no satisfaction - and the soul searching questions startoriginating. Each individual will find his answer, his place in thetree of life if they can establish a relationship with God the Father.When setting your time-table, perhaps you can put in a few moments tobe spent with just you and God, your Father and enjoy a sweetrelationship with Him.

The Spiritual Concept Of Becoming A Trustee (cont.)

In the physical world, one common example of a trustee is when a multi-millionaire does not have any heirs, he or she will leave his or wealth in the hands of a trustee or a group of trustees, to ensure the right use of his/her wealth as per his/her last wish. Another common example is of trustees associated with temples and welfare organizations. All the wealth and ornaments that devotees offer in temples out of faith, love and devotion for God or all the wealth and property that people give in charity to welfare organizations is taken care of by a group of trustees.

In all these cases and more, while taking care of the wealth, honest trustees always keep the consciousness that this is not their wealth or property and will always use it in the right way, as they have been directed. This is called keeping the trust of the owner/owners of the wealth, hence the word trustee.

In this way, now as a trustee, throughout the day I keep a consciousness that the treasures of my mind, my thoughts, words, actions, virtues, powers, time, my physical wealth, physical body etc. are the Supreme Being's property and I have been appointed as a trustee to take care of them. In this way, I will use these treasures in a positive way, for a positive purpose (as mentioned earlier for a purpose of bringing myself and other close to a state of truth) only; in a way the Supreme Being wants me to and has instructed me to do so. This establishes a relationship of detachment with the treasures I possess and also brings about my spiritual self-growth.

Soul Sustenance

Self Confidence

Self-confidence is very much linked to the understanding that I definitely have something to contribute to life through my own uniqueness. Each one of us is unique. That goes without saying. Unless a person has a sense of contributing, or offering, something to life, they cannot really be happy. I cannot be happy and confident when I am just taking; it simply doesn't work. I can only be happy when I am sharing and offering the best of myself. In that way, I don't feel depleted. When I offer the best of myself in an unselfish way, my happiness and confidence increases - the more I give, the more I receive. We start to understand that the well-being of individuals begins when they can contribute what they are, and what they have, to others. To be a truly self confident human being means to have true spiritual powers, like love, peace and happiness, which are brought into daily life - not just appearing as words or emotions, but truly displaying themselves in our behavior and bringing benefit to others.

Message for the day

Introversion enables us to experience progress. Expression: When we are introverted we will be able to check ourselves and progress. Introversion gives us the power to see our own mistake, however small it might be. With the recognition of the mistake comes the power to bring about a change in us and we find progress.

Experience: We must remind ourselves that with each mistake that happens, we actually get a chance to learn. When something goes wrong we don't have to feel disheartened, but take it as a learning for our future. This understanding gives us the experience of constant progress whatever the circumstances might be.